


Death and All His Friends

by murder_boots365



Category: Death Note
Genre: Serial Killers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-05
Updated: 2015-11-05
Packaged: 2018-04-30 03:37:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5148818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/murder_boots365/pseuds/murder_boots365
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yagami Light is a killer, and somewhat ruthless - but Kira is someone else. Will their paths cross - or have they already?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Death and All His Friends

"I would be doing the world a favour by killing any one of them," Light thought to himself as the frivolous chatter of the other students met his ears.

He sighed deeply. "They seem to be trying, though. Maybe they're wasting their potential, but some of them might prove to be useful one day." He came upon an alleyway and heard a throaty cough from within. The streetlights didn't reach very far but he could make out the shape of a person, huddled in a heap of cardboard and tattered blankets. He caught the person's eyes as they looked away; in shame, he assumed. His feeling of disgust grew as he passed the alley. 

"People like that, however, serve no purpose at all; merely a burden and a blemish on our society. How vile they are!" He would have spat upon the pavement if it wasn't so crass. 

By the time he returned home, he had come to a conclusion: these useless people needed to be dealt with more effectively. And if there was anybody who could do something effectively, it was Yagami Light. 

\----- 

The method escaped him initially. Even if the victims were unlikely to be missed and investigation would be minimal - based on his brief sojourn in his father's work files, this was a given; nobody really cared about these people - he didn't want to use anything too distinct or too special that might catch the eye of a particularly observant police officer. 

He turned it over and over in his head before an idea came to him. 

\-----

He had taken precautions: dark clothing, including a hooded sweatshirt to hide his face; leather gloves to protect his hands and prevent leaving fingerprints; his "quiet" shoes that made very little noise when he moved. 

Still, nothing had prepared him for the impact of taking a life, even if it had been a clean kill. It left him dizzy, and he was almost sick all over the pavement, but he managed to control it for the sake of keeping the crime scene free of incriminating evidence. He staggered away from the alley, his breath ragged and vision swimming. When he was a few blocks away, he stopped and leaned against a street lamp. A mirthless laugh erupted from his lips, slowly building in volume until he was shaking with laughter. When he caught his breath he felt calmer, steady. Straightening his back and pushing the hood off his face, he strode confidently homeward. 

It got easier after that first night. 

\----- 

The media was full of chatter about a string of mysterious deaths of criminals all over Japan - unexplained heart attacks, mostly, sprinkled with some grim suicides involving strange messages left by the decedent prior to their demise. Light's father was rarely home, a surprise to not one of his family members. 

An unknown entity calling itself Kira was taking credit for the killings. Light watched the broadcasts with rapt attention. He could only dream of being so powerful. If only...! 

\----- 

He supposed he was, in his own way, helping to make a better world. He was unable to touch the worst offenders as Kira did, but he felt as though he was tidying up some of the garbage - people who took up space, wasted resources, who would surely have no place in this perfect world Kira envisioned. Light was sure that Kira would commend him, if they ever met. He wondered if there might be some way to reach out without risking too much, but for all his intelligence he could find no safe means of doing so. 

\----- 

An unexpected opportunity arose when he started his college courses. A tall, weedy young man approached him and perched strangely in the chair beside him. 

"Yagami Light?" he inquired. 

Light acknowledged him with a skeptical look and a curt "Yes?" 

The man got into his face. "I'm L!" 

Light was astonished to meet the other major player in the recent murder spree - L was working to capture Kira, and had made several key deductions about Kira and Kira's location. But... why would he be introducing himself to Light, especially in such an abrupt fashion? 

\----- 

Hideki Ryuga was obviously an alias, and Light knew it was a means of L protecting himself from Kira; if Kira should know his face and his real name, he'd be dead in a flash. It was an especially clever protective measure as he took the name of a famous pop singer, which would make it too risky for Kira to test its authenticity in trying to remove L. 

Light was still surprised and more than a little uncomfortable (and slightly flattered, if he was honest) that he himself was under suspicion of being Kira. It would be difficult to continue his own actual killing being so close to such a big investigation and so many detectives. He was, however, confident in his abilities to avoid discovery. He was the top student in Japan, after all, and even if L was clever, he would put money on being the smarter one of the two. 

\----- 

Confinement was an extremely unpleasant experience, however. He wondered what possessed him when he proposed such action in order to prove he wasn't Kira. 

It didn't help that the killings had stopped. 

He wondered whether there was such a thing as divine punishment, and not just that which Kira claimed to bring. 

\----- 

"Ryuga." 

His voice was hoarse from disuse and broke over the syllables. It had been... forty days? Forty five? He had lost track by now. 

And the killings still had not resumed. 

"Yes, Light-kun?" L's voice came over the speaker. 

Light dragged himself into a very slumped sitting position, his legs sticking out in front of him. The complete lack of mental stimulation had worn on his nerves too much, and with the physical discomfort from his restraints and the hard mattress he was subject to, he couldn't take it anymore. He had thought his will was stronger than this, but he had long since crumpled. He just wanted to wait until it felt right, or...something. 

"Ryuga... I need... I must speak with you. Alone."

"As you wish, Light. I will send the others away."

"No!" he barked. "Turn off the cameras and the audio. Come here, please. I can't stand this anymore." 

"Very well. I will order the others to go away and turn off the monitoring system. I will see you in a few minutes." 

Light took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "Thank you." He didn't know why exactly the detective had agreed, but much as he hated to admit it, he was extremely grateful. 

\----- 

"Watari, you are of course recording this on my private laptop, correct? I am uncertain what is about to happen but it is imperative that we keep a record of it." 

\----- 

He heard the shuffling footsteps first and marveled at the fact that L was still going barefoot on the hard concrete floors of the basement in which his cell was. Then he heard L clearing his throat. 

"What is it you must tell me, Light-kun?" the detective said softly. 

"Ryuga... Ryuzaki... please remove the blindfold. Then I will tell you everything." Light shifted and barely succeeded at standing up, listing to the right side and wobbling on unsteady legs. He staggered towards where he heard the voice. "Please." 

He hated feeling so pathetic. He had been knocked down more than a few notches and he despised it. 

"Careful, Light." Light felt himself brush against a hand that had been inserted between the bars. "Turn around and I will remove the blindfold." Light obliged, turning awkwardly in place, nearly tipping over. 

"One moment." L's footsteps shuffled away, though not far, then returned. Light felt the strap behind his head tighten briefly, then loosen as the blindfold fell away. 

He had expected to be blinded by light but instead found it was actually quite dark, though he could make out the shapes of the furniture in the cell. He turned to look at L questioningly. 

"I didn't feel it necessary to cause you further pain to get you to speak your truth," L said, "so I dimmed the lights. I will raise them gradually." He then crouched down, his face close to the bars. "Now, what did you have to tell me?"


End file.
